


A Worthy Opponent

by BasicallyAnIdiot



Category: Brave (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chess, Curse-Breaking, F/M, Human!Mor'du, Other, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 12:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12190245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasicallyAnIdiot/pseuds/BasicallyAnIdiot
Summary: There were two people the princes Hubert, Harris and Hamish dared not prank. The ‘Bear Queen’ Elinor simply wouldn’t allow it and her quiet wrath left grown men faint. Princess Merida had a longstanding agreement with her young brothers that held true ‘til the day they died. Everyone else was at the mercy of whatever pranks abounded in the halls.As it was, the entirety of the castle was left flat-footed when the number of people the princes dared not prank leapt to three.





	A Worthy Opponent

**Author's Note:**

> I found this when I cleaning out my folders (ironically, while looking for another work that I seemed to have misplaced. A Grantedship for Pokemon. My quest for that particular fic continues). It was written years ago, but still gave me a chuckle to read it, so it only seemed right to upload it as it was. 
> 
> Probably un-betaed. From the time Brave came out (I think). For a friend.
> 
> Bhàtair - Scottish form of 'Walter'

_There were two people the princes Hubert, Harris and Hamish dared not prank. The ‘Bear Queen’ Elinor simply wouldn’t allow it and her quiet wrath left grown men faint. Princess Merida had a longstanding agreement with her young brothers that held true ‘til the day they died. Everyone else was at the mercy of whatever pranks abounded in the halls._

_As it was, the entirety of the castle was left flat-footed when the number of people the princes dared not prank leapt to three._

 

* * *

 

 

Merida glanced up from the chessboard. Her opponent, deep in thought, towered over the table game even while sitting. When he wasn’t battling her, he often challenged her mother. Sometimes he’d almost win. At the moment, he held one of her knights and a small army of pawns. She captured a bishop for her growing collection in retaliation.

“Does something trouble you?” Bhàtair spoke softly but Merida knew he could roar much like a bear, uncomfortably so some days, when pressed. The last clan gathering before the winter set in hard and cold was still stark in her mind. Ever since, Bhàtair was known as ‘the bear in the castle.” Accurate enough, no one could shrug off centuries of being a bear overnight. Bhàtair still took his fish on the rare side.

“How’d ya do it?” The question hung in the air as he finally made his move. A quick glance confirmed a fight ahead. A challenge well-accepted.  

He glanced up at that, the remade kilt of his clan sharp over his broad shoulders. Her mother had worked day and night to make the kilt, both a welcoming gift and a peace offering.

 

* * *

  


_The queen, wise and fair Elinor, was the only one to look the fallen prince in the eye from where he knelt in the throne room. The clans were baying for blood and the King had a choice to make when the Queen approached the fallen one, “We should not forget the past,” the Queen began, silencing the hall, “nor should we linger there.”_

_“Her majesty is as wise as she is beautiful,” came the soft response. Merida had to strain to hear from the dais. “I will accept whatever punishment fits my crimes.”_

_Elinor, with a sly glance to her daughter, “I think that your crime has been paid. All can change, even us bears.”_

_Merida hid her smile._

_The queen waved to Maudie, who brought forth a folded cloth. “A peace offering, from the Clan Dun’Borch for the Lord Mor’du. To heal our troubled pasts.”_

_If the title disturbed the man, he did not show it. With a certain reverence, he stood and accepted the gift, “Your majesties are kind. I am forever in your debt.”_

_“Oh aye,” the King cut in, “Just keep out of the cellar and we’ll call it square.”_

 

* * *

 

“Do what?”

She had a plan in place. A sacrifice would be needed to make it work though. “Convince my brothers you’re not a target.”

To her surprise, he leaned back and began to chuckle. It was deep and amused and Merida found herself blushing in spite of herself, “I wasn’t intendin’ to be funny about it.”

He sobered up quickly, a half smile on his face. It was the closest she had seen him come to smiling yet. “No, princess.”

They fell into silence again. Unlike the uncomfortable affairs of supper with the young lords, where the silence choked all but her mother but only because her mother sought to be the perfect hostess, this silence wrapped like a warm blanket. It always did during their evening games in the royal family’s sitting room.

“Well then?” Merida asked as she moved a piece. He had the patience of a stone though and sat silently for a moment longer.

“I had three younger brothers once,” Bhàtair said suddenly and almost as quickly did Merida wish she had held her tongue. Bhàtair didn’t seem to notice her discomfort and pressed on, “When they were young, they were the bane of the castle staff. Drove father up the walls and across the gangplanks. But they never tried their luck with me.”

To her shock, he laughed and smiled, shaking his head, eyes staring at the game board but looking into centuries pass. “Mostly because they knew they could never defeat me in a prank battle.”

Merida stared at Bhàtair, her mind notching an arrow just waiting for release, “What’d you do?”

“Taught ‘em how to tie better knots for starters.” He scoffed, “Their knot work was sloppy and easily escapable. We’ll be addressing ways to avoid redundancy after they prove themselves capable in knotting.”

The mental arrow pulled back and as Merida opened her mouth to ask more, her father's shout rang clear through the halls, “Boys!”

Quick as lightning, the arrow released. “Ya didn’t,” Merida gasped out.

With a smile, faint but most definitely still there, Bhàtair replied, “I did.”

Cradling her head in her hands, Merida could only laugh. When she had the laughs under control, she lifted her head up and shook it slowly, “Now you’ve done it. There be hell ta pay.”

“Only if they catch me, princess. Only if they catch me.” His face relaxed, peaceful even. Almost like the moment six months ago when Bhàtair raised his hands and turned them slowly, examining each detail in the morning sunlight, as if he had never seen them before. Or just not in a long time.

There was a clink on the game broad, looping Merida’s attention back to the game. She nearly gapped at what she saw. “What- how’d ya-?”

“Forgive me. I took advantage of your distraction.” Bhàtair stood, towering up near to the rafters- he was the tallest man in the castle some said, and gave a quick bow. “It was a game well-played princess.”

“Not well enough.” The mutter was answered with a chuckle, and Merida turned her glower back to her opponent. It was a useless weapon against such a foe.

“You are a worthy opponent, princess.” He was smiling again. Merida’s glare deepened until her cheeks were rosy red, “By your leave.”

She watched as he left the room, every step deliberate and careful not to knock something to the floor with his shoulders. “Merida.” He stopped at the door, looking back. She continued on as if she wasn’t about to break a dozen decorum rules instilled to her from her mother. “You have my leave to call me Merida.”

If her request bothered him, Bhàtair didn’t show it. He dipped his head, all the more a lord, not a bear, and said, “Very well, lady Merida.”


End file.
